Improvement in wire-stretchers for fences



l. F. UDDEN. Wire-Stretchers for Fences.

Patented May1`2.1a74.

PATE@ OEEIcEa JOSEPH E. GLIDDEN, OE DEl KALB, ILLINOIs IMPROVEMENT IN wlRE-S'TRETOHERS FOR FENcEs.-

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,683, dated May 12, 1874; application tiled A March 14, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J OsEPII F. GLIDDEN, of De Kalb, in the county of De Kalb and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire Fences, of which the following is a .specilicationz rlhe nat'ure of the present invention consists in thesuse of two wires, which are provided at short' post setin the ground, is held firmly in place and strengthens the wires, as hereinafter fully described and shown.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation oi' a panel of fence, the lower stretcher of which represents my improvement; Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional view of the slotted. tube and coil-spring therein, showing the position of the wires relative to the spring.

A A represent the fence-posts of one panel 0i' my improvement in fence. B C are the two wires, which extend from post to post, and are drawn tight, in the usual manner, by screws or keys D D put through one of the posts A. At proper intervals, for protection against stock, barbs or wires E are coi-led round the two wires B G, leaving outwardly-projecting ends,

as shown. The wires B C, between the coiled 4 barbs iE, are spread apart and bent so as to prevent the barbs from sliding on the wires and getting misplaced. C represents a metal tube, which is provided with a slot, J, at each end to retain the wires B G, an d which is provided with an internal coil-spring, I, and is` supported by a post, K; set in the ground.A The wires B C run through the slots J, and bear against the ends of coil-spring-I, so that when heat expands the wires, the spring I will spread them apart and thus keep their tension about the same. When the cold contracts the wires, they will draw the spring to-y gether Or shorten it, and thus prevent the wires from breaking.

For ordinary purposes I nd that one-fourthinch Wire is of suitable size for the spring I. In practice the wires B C can be extended the usual length.

I do notclaim to have originated4 the devices known as spurs Or prongs on the wires, they having been used before, but confine myselt` to the means for'holding the spurs at proper intervals on the wires, and to the means for attaining a uniform tension of the wires, as claimed.

I claim- A The combination of the wires B G, slotted tube G, coil-spring I, and post K, for keeping the wires in proper tension in various temperatures, as described and shown.

JOSEPH F. GLIDDEN.

Witnesses:

G. L. CHAPIN, J. II. ELLIOTT. 

